Eight 1/2 took over the former SOMA location a while back, but it wasn’t high on my list to try. It came back on my radar after reading a favourable review in the Globe & Mail so I suggested it to my friends last week and off we went. Overall, it’s a nice place. A relaxed restaurant serving up a good selection of drinks and food.
The Eight 1/2 differentiator: their mantra that everything should be “simple, fresh, local,” which for Eight 1/2 means a kitchen with no deep fryer and microwave. What that translated to was some good, different menu options. The room is nice and cozy with soft lights and a modern feel. We arrived at 7pm on a Tuesday evening and the restaurant was full. After enjoying a drink at the bar, we moved over to a table once space opened up.
Here are my highs and lows for on Eight 1/2:
- The restaurant offers a seasonal fresh sheet in addition to the standard menu – we sampled some excellent mini perogies with a mild chipotle sauce.
- Cedar plank halibut with mango salsa and spinach risotto. This dish was fresh, but fell a little short. One dining companion felt the size of halibut filet was too small. I was fine with the size, but it was slightly over-cooked and the mango salsa didn’t have much flavour. The spinach risotto was okay, but came cold.
- Steak Sandwich – while the Globe & Mail review slagged this dish, I quite enjoyed it. The bun was a little doughy, but full of butter and garlic and the steak was so good – medium rare, tender, grass-fed steak. Mmmmm. On the side we opted for a bowl of french onion soup (also off the fresh sheet), which had a nice flavour, but was not extraordinary.
- Dessert – apple crumble pie with ice cream, warm and comforting
- Service was friendly but the kitchen was quite slow (we waited about 20 min for appetizers and over 30 min for mains). I’ll forgive them for the wait time since the restaurant was packed and I had two friends to gossip the night away with. That said, don’t go if you’re in a hurry.
Overall, Eight 1/2 is a nice neighbourhood joint and the staff really cares about offering good service and food. I’ll return to try more menu items, like the oven-baked wings, pizzas, and 4-cheese macaroni and cheese.
Eight 1/2 Restaurant Lounge
151 East 8th Ave. (@ Main)
604-568-2703
2 responses so far ↓
1 Amy // Nov 30, 2009 at 11:18 am
Hi Angie,
I went to 8 1/2 for breakfast yesterday and was sorely disappointed. I believe the cook hadn’t turned up for work on time and so we got served (IMO) a very average breakfast. They hadn’t even taken the time to separate the bacon into rashers – they were just 2 big chunks of bacon. Overall, very disappointing but your review makes me think that maybe their dinner is better.
2 angie // Nov 30, 2009 at 11:42 am
Amy – now that you mention it, I remember some friends mentioning that they once went to 81/2 for brunch and they were “out of eggs.” Rather strange considering they could have gone to the store and bought some egss!
For dinner, like my review hopefully indicates – the food is ranges between okay to good, but I definitely like what they’re trying to do, which is why I posted about them. You won’t get a mind-blowing meal, but it’s a good neighbourhood place if you are looking for a casual alternative to the Whip.
Thanks for reading!
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